Jamel Shabazz: Street Photographer documentary presented by Charlie Ahearn

If you're in New York this Monday 10th, February, then head on down to The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. Charlie Ahearn is presenting his film, "Jamel Shabazz Street Photographer" and doing a talkback session. See below for the screening details.

The first time I saw Jamel Shabazz's book, "Back In The Days," was in a store called Apartment on Crosby St. in New York set up by Design Group. The concept was everything on display was for sale. And everything on sale was set-up in someone's (stylized) apartment. In the 'living room' was a coffee table with Jamel's book, alongside a classic boombox. This was retail staging at its extreme!

Since then, I've met Jamel a couple of times, both in galleries. Once at Dazed and Confused in London and again many years later at the Scion Gallery in Culver City. (R.I.P.) So, I guess I was sleeping when I missed writing about Charlie Ahearn's documentary about Jamel back in 2011 when the project was completed. You can never tire of hearing Jamel's story about why and how he captured these street portraits. His photos document urban life, hip hop fashion trends that is so real you feel like a voyeur transported back in time...Back in the days!



Check out Jamel's work at his website and buy his books on Amazon - he even has his own page.

Join director Charlie Ahearn (Wild Style) for a talkback with Jamel Shabazz
Monday, February 10, 2014, 6:30-8.00p.m. EST
FREE - Register here.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Langston Hughes Auditorium (partially accessible to wheelchairs)
515 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY 10037
+1 212 491-2200

Subway
2, 3 to 135th Street

MTA Bus
M7 M102
to 135th Street

Driving
FDR Drive to Harlem River Drive; Harlem River Drive to 135th St.; two blocks west; Interstate 87 (Major Deegan Expressway.

Normski...UK old school hip hop royalty

UK b-boys

If you were in the UK around the late '80s and '90s you know Normski, aka Norman Anderson, is! I knew him as the hip hop photographer and first worked with him for the Victoria & Albert Museum "Street Style" exhibition in 1994.

His photos captured the burgeoning UK hip hop scene and the first wave of touring US mega rap acts (Beastie Boys, L.L. Cool J., Run DMC, Public Enemy.) Read more in this Vice Magazine article.

Tonight, Normski has a one night show at east London's hip The Book Club. Old school heads will be treated to a selection of his '90's photos and a DJ set covering 90’s house, hip hop, Brit pop, indie, techno and club classics. UK stylee!

Public Enemy

Hijack

Mos Def photography

Tyler and the crew at HVW8 brought an exclusive look at Frolab's (aka Cognito) photo exhibition “MOS DEF: ECSTATIC MOMENTS.” It's a one week one month extended exhibition showcasing rare performance and behind-the-scenes images taken over a two year journey following Mos Def's on his “The Ecstatic” tour.

From January 30, 2010 through February 6 February 30, 2010 the exhibition coincides with Mos Def's show at Los Angeles' The Key Club and the Grammys too! The Key Club Grammys aftershow party was dope from the looks of the okayplayer video below.

If you wanna go shopping there's a monchrome HVW8, Union and Frolab t-shirt to commemorate the show. $30 and all sizes.

Martha Cooper book launch

Last night Subliminal Projects in Echo Park had a book launch for prolific New York photographer, Martha Cooper. I was hoping she'd be in attendance so I took a pic of her and me from 2004.

Although billed as an exhibition of her pics of NYC street life, rather than her usual hip-hop snapshots (graffiti, b-boys, writers) the show was actually the most comprehensive retrospective of her photography spanning decades.

Whole car I'd never seen the photos of the graffiti and the writers behind the art printed so large (and displayed so raw.) These photos that we know and love are timeless and, even though I wasn't in the US, feel very familiar to me as a devotee to Subway Art. The new, unseen photos included Keith Haring painting (in colour) and kids playing in the streets of urban NYC (in black and white). The latter captured a sort of innocence rarely seen amongst the hustle and bustle in the city today. Or may be it was monochrome that did that for me ;)

Martha Cooper signing photo of me and her taken in Los Angeles, 2004.

Piece and quiet I left last night with a numbered poster set (#69) which included a pre-order for the augmented Subway Art book coming out in the spring. I went back to Subliminal to get a closer look when the hipsters aren't blocking the view. Enjoy the video below.

Cypher, B-Boy book

There's a new b-boy book in town...rock photographer, Charles Peterson, and Powerhouse books (Hip Hop Files, The Beastie Boys Anthology, The Breaks) have put together photos of ciphers (I hate that cypher spelling...yuck!)

Shot over a period of six years mainly in Peterson's hometown of Seattle and a few b-boy events in Los Angeles, New York City, and Portland. In his photos, Peterson captures the bold moves, twists and turns with a medium format camera. Man, I gotta get myself a better camera! Oh and Jeff Chang has added a few words to tie the whole shabang together.

So, who's in the CYPHER? Rock Steady Crew: Renegade, Jeskilz, ATS, DJ DV One, Fenix, Artson; Massive Monkees: Twixx, Juse, Iron Mike Brysen; Ready to Rock: Floor Phantom, Tyquan; Circle of Fire (Seattle): Seth, Orb, Mosez, Quest, Thagirl,Free; BYC: Eriko, Miami Nice; KLP Crew (France): Krimo, G-Rhum; Curfew Breakers: Simi, Fenix; Drifters Crew (Korea); Freshest Kidz Crew (Seattle, Portland); Gamblers Crew (Korea); Mortal Kombat Crew (Japan); Killafornia Crew; Rivers Crew (Korea); Caspar (Mighty Zulu Kings, Boogie Brats); Asia One (No Easy Props); Kid Glyde (Dynamic Rockers); A-B-Girl (Domestic Apes); DJ Scene; Dama (Unique Styles Crew); Hiro (Spartanic Rockers); Lazy Legs (Ill Abilities); Marcio (Soul Control), Frankie (Supeme Beings Crew); Rockadile (Battle Monkeys); Thesis (Knuckleheads Cali); Geom (Battle Born Crew), Juan (Dance Broomz), Mouse (360 Gun Battalion), Newtzybot, Lancelot, and more!

The battles

• Circle of Fire Mondays, Nation, Seattle (2002)
• Vera Project Battles, Seattle (2003)
• Soul City Mondays, Noiselab and the War Room (2003-Present)
• B-Boy Summit, Los Angeles (2006)
• Rock Steady Crew 30th Anniversary, NYC (2007)
• Freestyle Session 10th Anniversary, Los Angeles (2007)
• Ashes to Ashes, Portland, OR (2007)
• Massive Monkees Day, UW Hub (2007)
• Spartanic Rockers Anniversary, Tokyo (2006)
• and many other rec jams and club nights

British B-Girl...

London in the house! Where were you in 1982? I'm not talking about Vashtie's hip club in New York, I'm asking if you were in London in 1982 when Grandmaster DSt performed? I know Janette Beckman was there because I saw her pictures from that era at her book launch at Taschen, CA 90210 (aka Beverly Hills).

Now I have to admit, I didn't know Janette was English. "Where are you from, I can't place the accent...," she said. "It's easy..." I replied. "Bristol, London, Los Angeles!"

Uptown, Downtown  Beckman's photos really capture the '80s hip hop scene in its infancy and are firmly rooted in East Coast America. I read that she moved to New York in 1982. By that time, the downtown scene was in full effect and folks like Fab 5 Freddy were bridging the uptown/downtown gap. F5F was key to getting the first hip hopper downtown: Afrika Bambaataa (who's photographed in Beckman's book) played Mudd Club, Negril, Danceteria. Then Grandmaster Flash went to play to the honkys too ;) Not sure if Janette hit the South Bronx parties like Malcolm McLaren did to capture her art though.

Punk Rock, New Wave and Soul I also read that Beckman started working for coolzines The Face and Melody Maker snapping punk and rock bands which led to her first book in 2005 for Powerhouse Books, "Made in the UK: The Music of Attitude 1977–1983."

Doraemon  Beckman said,"nice t-shirt," looking at my WrongWroks "Doraemon" shirt. "Let's swap t-shirts," I said to Janette as I spotted her dope Acapulco Gold collaboration t-shirt. Here's an interview about the Acapulco Gold collaboration.

Fatseagulls? Imagine "a blog about the world of t-shirts" ~ yes it exists and I found it as I was looking for the fresh Acapulco Gold t-shirt.